Horsetail Equisetum Hyemale Medicinal Uses

Equisetum hyemale, also known as horsetail and scouring rush, contains high amounts of silica. Since at least the days of ancient Greece, physicians have relied on E. hyemale, E. arvense, and the other horsetail varieties as potent medicines.

Parts Used

• Horsetail's efficacy as a medicinal plant largely depends on its sterile stem (as opposed to the fertile stem), which contains high amounts of silica and magnesium. Extracts from the fresh plant are often used, but sometimes ashes from the burnt herb are prescribed.

Coagulant

• Seventeenth-century physician Nicholas Culpeper frequently employed the herb, especially to treat bleeding. "It is very powerful to stop bleeding, either inward or outward, the juice or the decoction being drunk, or the juice, decoction or distilled water applied outwardly," he wrote.

Diuretic

• Horsetail, an effective diuretic, is included in anti-bloating PMS teas and cellulite creams. Its combination of astringent and diuretic properties enable it to flush the kidneys and bladder, making it useful for various urinary tract infections.

Wound Treatment

• The high silica content of horsetail allows it to build connective tissue internally and externally. "It solders together the tops of green [i.e. fresh] wounds and cures all ruptures [i.e. hernias] in children," Culpeper enthused.

Digestion

• The online version of A Modern Herbal notes that the ashes of the horsetail plant supposedly soothe stomach upset. The site recommends taking three to 10 grains of the burnt herb as often as needed.